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    Experience currently and should I consider mods

    • Started by slipsnip
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    • From: Canada Eh?
    • Registered: 08-Aug-2020
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    I switched to Colemak cold turkey about two weeks ago (lost track of time) and I am very happy with my choice.  I was never a fast QWERTY typist, I could never beat 40 WPM and that was only using the letters and a few symbols I use all the time in programming.  Today I hit 45 WPM a few times during practice on typing club.  But the reason for my post today is to ask for some advice.  My skill level is probably a beginner as I further develop muscle memory and try also to increase my speed.  I currently struggle with the placement of g, as well have a look at my speeds of 'd', 'g' and 'k'

    Character: n
        Speed: 60 wp
        Accuracy: 97%
    Character: u
        Speed: 55 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: c
        Speed: 53 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: a
        Speed: 51 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: e
        Speed: 50 wp
        Accuracy: 97%
    Character: o
        Speed: 50 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: l
        Speed: 50 wp
        Accuracy: 94%
    Character: m
        Speed: 46 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: y
        Speed: 44 wp
        Accuracy: 97%
    Character: v
        Speed: 42 wp
        Accuracy: 93%
    Character: h
        Speed: 40 wp
        Accuracy: 97%
    Character: t
        Speed: 35 wp
        Accuracy: 94%
    Character: w
        Speed: 34 wp
        Accuracy: 98%
    Character: s
        Speed: 34 wp
        Accuracy: 93%
    Character: b
        Speed: 34 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: r
        Speed: 32 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: q
        Speed: 28 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: i
        Speed: 28 wp
        Accuracy: 92%
    Character: p
        Speed: 27 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: z
        Speed: 27 wp
        Accuracy: 97%
    Character: f
        Speed: 26 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: g
        Speed: 26 wp
        Accuracy: 87%
    Character: k
        Speed: 26 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: j
        Speed: 25 wp
        Accuracy: 99%
    Character: x
        Speed: 25 wp
        Accuracy: 100%
    Character: d
        Speed: 22 wp
        Accuracy: 93%



    I am curious as to anyone who has experience with Colemak - DH mod and other mods, I have questions

    Is the DH Mod commonly used or more of a minority?
    Should I bother trying to introduce DH now? or later?
    Is it worth looking into the Angle Mod at the same time?

    Last edited by slipsnip (08-Aug-2020 23:34:31)
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    I edited to improve formatting and getting my letter statistics from typingclub involved extracting the relevant information from html

    Last edited by slipsnip (08-Aug-2020 23:36:47)
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    slipsnip said:

    I currently struggle with the placement of g, as well have a look at my speeds of 'd', 'g' and 'k'

    I am curious as to anyone who has experience with Colemak - DH mod and other mods, I have questions

    Is the DH Mod commonly used or more of a minority?
    Should I bother trying to introduce DH now? or later?
    Is it worth looking into the Angle Mod at the same time?

    The DH mod was designed to overcome the problems you mention with keys like D and G. Also on the right-hand side of course with H and the infamous HE bigram. If you are struggling with those keys, then it sounds like DH might be a good fit for you.

    DH is moderately more commonly used these days, but still a minority within the Colemak community overall. There is no way to collect usage stats so no-one really knows. The decision ought not to be based on numbers of people though - otherwise you'd still be on Qwerty!

    The angle mod is integral to DH, so if you adopted it, you'd be using the angle mod automatically.

    Last edited by stevep99 (09-Aug-2020 10:50:10)

    Using Colemak-DH with Seniply.

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    Thank you @stevep99 I much appreciate you're response and have gone ahead with the change.  You make a very valid point about Qwerty, I never thought about it in that perspective.  I made the conscious decision to switch to colemak in the first place, why should I concern my self with what is more common place?  Thanks.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    Please read in my Big Bag of Tricks nearly everything you wonder about. I've written about various mods and whys and hows.

    Of course I'd recommend using full Colemak-CAW with my [eD] AltGr mappings and at the very least Extend! But you must find out what suits you. If you use Windows, you can quite easily try out different mod combos and lots of bells and whistles with my EPKL program

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    Thanks DreymaR.  I had previously only briefly looked at it and it looked very well thought out and put together.  From this very brief look I got an impression it was a step-wise progression from QWERTY to Colemak changing a few keys at a time and I wanted to do the coldturkey approach.  I will read it now.

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    You just described the Tarmak transition. The BigBag is way more than just Tarmak, so please do look into it.

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    I began reading your Big Bag yesterday and will continue today, I realize my ignorance and mistake in regards to overlooking the Big Bag of Tricks and confusing it with Tarmak Transition and offer an apology.  It is obvious the amount of knowledge, expertise and time you have put into this masterpiece for everyone to benefit from.  I will continue reading this today and have already had my eyes opened.  Your Extended Layer intrigues me as It might benefit me in some way, although when it comes to text editors I only use modal editors like vim, emacs, kakoune... And thus some of the benefits like access to page up, end, and home locations may not be relevant in that regard they may still have a use for tiling window managers.  Some of the material in your BBoT is currently over my head and I wonder how I can make use of your "X.Org XKB files" in combination with my WASD Version 3 Keyboard which I have already meticulously programmed on their newest firmware to have all the now Colemak-DH ANSI standard layout.  Technically I have previously messed with XKB as well as keymaps myself prior to my recent purchase of this keyboard.  I now wonder about whether I made the best keyboard choice as this it an ANSI layout and staggered, I could have gone with a cheaper keyboard and used one of the devices mentioned in your TMK guide.  And perhaps got a matrix keyboard.  What appealed to my uninformed mind about this one was that it was programmed onboard and not through software.  Anyway, I ramble.  Thank you for your work.

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    Thanks for the kind words!  /(⁎≧∇≦)\

    For me, the most important question would be whether I can get Extend up and running. With your programmable keyboard you might make an Extend layer or two if it supports that. Otherwise, you could use my XKB files to provide Extend while leaving the rest to the keyboard. That'd mean running a "pseudo-QWERTY" layout in XKB but with Extend. Same thing with ergo mods, you can have them on board or in software as you prefer.

    A QUICKIE USB-2-USB device is neat for sure, but it costs a pretty penny that could've been spent on keyboards. Your board is probably nice and good to type on, and you can make it more ergonomical with my mods. An Angle mod is very good in my opinion, even if it means moving the Z on an ANSI board. I do prefer ISO boards myself, as you get that extra key to play with, but it isn't an earth-shaking difference. Myself, I use the full CAWS mod battery (CurlAngleWideSym; the Symbol key mod hasn't been added to the XKB files yet) and enjoy that a lot.

    Do note that keys like PgUp/PgDn in an Extend layer are more useful than you may think of, especially with homerow modifiers in the mix! I use those two a lot when browsing the web: Ext+T+J/K (=Ctrl+PgUp/PgDn) changes browser tabs. Throw in an S (=Shift) and they reorder tabs. Etc etc. It's in the Extend topic of the BigBag, but that's a wall of text so it's easy to miss stuff there.  ᏊᵕꈊᵕᏊ

    Last edited by DreymaR (12-Aug-2020 12:30:35)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    The trouble is, it's easy to get sucked in. It starts with a simple curiosity about alternative layouts. Or maybe with programmable keyboards. But then you start discover all sorts of other ideas. Extra layers for symbols. Different arrangements for modifiers. Extend. Different hardware designs. Key switches. Split keyboards. Keyboards with thumb keys. etc etc. With each step, one realises how much more there is to know. Enlightenment doesn't appear suddenly as a destination, but is revealed gradually through the journey.

    The ANSI thing is quite common. Although I've always used ISO, I used to be slightly envious of ANSI boards until I entered this world (and especially, learned about the angle mod).  I have a USB remapper device but I don't generally use it. It's there for backup/emergency purposes. I also don't have a properly programmable keyboard. All my cool keyboard stuff is configured via software. A programmable keyboard would be a better solution in theory though.

    Extend is still worthwhile even in vim. The arrows, page up/down, home/end all still work. I use it all the time.

    Last edited by stevep99 (12-Aug-2020 13:52:58)

    Using Colemak-DH with Seniply.

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    Welcome to... The Rabbit Hole!   ̄(=⌒ᆺ⌒=) ̄

    Last edited by DreymaR (12-Aug-2020 13:59:27)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    Also, big thanks to @stevep99 as I believe you were behind Mod-DH which I am now using according to colemakmods on github.io

    The original Mod-DH was developed and launched by SteveP in October 2014.

    ?

    In the topic of User Experiences having switched to this mod thanks to your input, I have to say it is a very enjoyable experience.

    Welcome to... The Rabbit Hole!   ̄(=⌒ᆺ⌒=) ̄

    Ah yes the Rabbit Holes, I often find myself exploring those.  They can be enlightening and lead you to new paths never considered while like @stevep99 said

    The trouble is, it's easy to get sucked in. It starts with a simple curiosity about alternative layouts. Or maybe with programmable keyboards. But then you start to discover all sorts of other ideas. Extra layers for symbols. Different arrangements for modifiers. Extend. Different hardware designs. Key switches. Split keyboards. Keyboards with thumb keys. etc etc. With each step, one realizes how much more there is to know. Enlightenment doesn't appear suddenly as a destination but is revealed gradually through the journey.

    These words speak many truths, it's easy to get carried away and even lose sight of your original goal.  With that said I think I will take a peak into this Extended layer and deeply consider what I can take from it that will benefit me but to make a decision and not let myself get trapped.  I have an addictive personality.  Thanks to you both.

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    Let us know if something, anywhere, needs to be made clearer for the fresh eye. Constructive feedback is valuable!

    Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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